Honoring our veterans

Hospice of Chattanooga believes that all those who served in the military, whether in combat or not, should be recognized for that service. America’s veterans and their families comprise about 25% of families served by Hospice of Chattanooga and other hospices across the United States.

26 million Veterans are alive today

25% of all deaths in the US are Veterans

More than 1,800 Veterans die each day

The VA cares for a minority of Veterans at the end of life: 96% die in community care organizations like Hospice of Chattanooga.

As a member hospice in We Honor Veterans, Hospice of Chattanooga provides educational tools and resources in advancing these goals:

Promote Veteran-centric educational activities

Increase organizational capacity to serve Veterans

Support development of strategic partnerships to better serve area Veterans

Increase access and improve quality of community services for Veterans

Vet to Vet Program: Veterans Honoring Veterans

Hospice of Chattanooga has implemented an innovative model for serving Veterans at the end of life: the Veteran-to-Veteran (Vet-to-Vet) Volunteer Program. The Vet-to-Vet Volunteer Program pairs veteran volunteers with hospice patients who have been identified as veterans. Once paired with hospice patients who also have military experience, veteran volunteers have the unique ability to relate and connect with veteran patients and their families. Veteran patients or their family member can request that their vet-to-vet volunteer provide a “pinning” ceremony to outwardly acknowledge their service to our country. A staff member along with a veteran volunteer, family and any others that would like to attend, presents the patient with a pin and certificate representative of their branch of service and a hand-made red, white and blue afghan from Hospice of Chattanooga’s volunteer knitters group. Honoring their service and letting our veterans know that we recognize and appreciate their sacrifice can help them find peace at the end of their life’s journey.

National Hospice Leader in Honoring Veterans

In 2009, Hospice of Chattanooga was one of the first 18 hospice organizations in the US to work with the Veterans Administration and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization to better to address special issues that affect Veterans at the end of life. That early process became the We Honor Veterans national initiative. In partnership with the VA, Hospice of Chattanooga has had the honor of assisting thousands of veteran patients at the end of life toward a more peaceful ending, and supports their family caregivers during and following the death of their loved one. The Vet-to-Vet Volunteer Program is a key part of this initiative.